Protector
by Churnok
Summary: Fingers and his family defend their home from poachers.


**Protector**

**By Churnok**

Disclaimer

Batman Beyond is the copyright of DC comics and Warner Brothers and is used here for non-profit entertainment purposes only. This story is a spinoff from the season three episode: _**Speak No Evil**_. Permission is given to anyone who wants to archive this story as long as they let me know first and give me a link to their site. I welcome any comments, questions, and/or constructive criticisms.

The poachers prepared for their day unaware that their camp was being watched by another kind of hunter. Some call me the jungle guardian, others call me the dark protector, the scientists whose experiments expanded my mind called me Fingers, but that was a long time ago.

I had only been a child when I had been separated from my mother by the poacher who claimed to be a conservationist, James Van Dyal. I had grown up alone in captivity, and had then been sold to a government laboratory where the human scientists, in a desperate attempt to maintain their funding, used illegal chemicals to mix my genetics with that of their race. Raising my intelligence to that of a human and giving me the dubious gift of human speech. I escaped soon after that and with the help of the human called Batman I brought that poacher to justice. Now I used my human level intelligence and my animal strength to protect the jungle against others who would destroy for their own gain. I turned to check on the positions of my family. I thought I would be alone in this fight, but was proven wrong after my first attack on a group who were hunting gorillas. The gorillas I rescued had adopted me as their leader and wouldn't take no for an answer. They were just normal apes, not genetically enhanced like I was, but I could still speak with them. They learned fast and had proven to be valuable allies in my fight. More importantly, they provided him with a home. I gave the signal and my family went into action yelling, screaming, and making as much noise as possible from all around the camp. The startled scumbags all ran for their weapons but had no idea where to shoot. Once I was sure I had the attention of the poachers I gave my family the signal to stop and picked up my megaphone. "You are trespassing on lands that do not belong to you! Leave now and you will be spared!"

"Oh yeah," the lead poacher shouted back. "And who is going to make us?"

I gave the signal to fire a crude catapult which launched a large stone at the camp smashing one of the jeeps. I wasn't aiming for the jeep, the best my family could do was throw projectiles in the right direction, but the blow got their attention.

"The jungle herself rejects your evil!" I growled into the megaphone. "Leave now or die!"

My family resumed their scare tactics while the leader of the poachers tried to calm his men with limited success. Some fired into the trees and were rewarded with the sounds of metal off metal as their bullets and darts bounced off the hidden shields made from the wrecks of previous poaching parties.

"The weapons of man are useless in my jungle. This is your third and final warning!" I did not want to hurt the poachers, I am above senseless human violence, but I and my family know how to fight and would if we had to.

"Axle Rose doesn't run from any man," the lead poacher shouted, "and I'm sure not going to run from a nameless voice and a bunch of special effects. Come on men. Let's pull the wizard out from behind his curtain. "

It always came to this. We always had to fight them. I hate to do this. It was their ways not mine, but they never accepted my warnings so I had no choice. As soon as the men entered the jungle my family attacked. Using a mix of booby-traps and hit and run tactics the humans were quickly disabled. Axel Rose's courage evaporated faster than his fighting force as the brave leader ran soon after he realized that he was fighting apes not men. Not that it mattered. The jungle was my home not his. He ran blindly like a scared rodent but I could see him, could smell his fear. Just when he thought he had escaped I swung down from the trees and lifted him up by his shirt. Coming face to face with my opponent. Axel Rose was one of the ten most wanted by the EPA. He had slaughtered hundreds of animals, including gorillas and other apes. Now, faced with an ape who could fight back, he fainted.

The fight was over in minutes with a minimum of injury to either side. Although I hated that we had to do it, I have to admit that my family was getting good at taking down poachers. Now all we had to do was hang these fools in they're own nets like fruit for the local human authorities. I woke Axel Rose and snarled in his face. "When you return to you precious civilization, tell your fellow poachers this. For too long human vermin had treated the jungle like it was theirs to destroy. Now the jungle has someone to fight for her. Now she has a Protector."


End file.
